One of these torpedoes hit the side of the tanker with a thud, but without explosion, and a small column of water erupted just forward of the tanker's bridge. Undeterred, Tunny submerged and continued the attack, firing a second volley from her stern tubes. The Japanese ship, now discernible as a loaded tanker, began to maneuver radically and opened fire on the submarine. Despite her detection, Tunny continued the approach until she was only 1,000 yards (1,000 m) from the target and then launched three torpedoes. At 2,200 yards (2,000 m), the extreme phosphorescence of the water illuminated her wake and betrayed her presence to the enemy ship, which began signaling the unidentified intruder with a blinker light. Rapidly shoaling water less than 20 fathoms (37 m) deep and land masses on two sides of the submarine limited her maneuverability. At 2130, she made radar contact and, through the night, drew closer to her as yet unseen quarry.Ī light rain was falling and visibility was poor when, half an hour before morning twilight, Tunny began a radar approach. As darkness fell on 2 February, she was only hours from Hong Kong, expecting to make landfall on Tamkan Island by daybreak. On 1 February, Tunny set her course for the China coast, running on the surface. When her target counterattacked and dropped two depth charges, Tunny broke off the attack and submerged. Tunny fired two "fish" from her bow tubes, but the freighter made a radical change of course which enabled her to evade the torpedoes. An hour and a half before midnight on 31 January, her periscope at last disclosed a worthwhile target, a freighter approaching Takao Ko. On 29 January, she began patrolling off Formosa. Soon, darkness forced her to discontinue the attack, and she continued on her way. Finding the prey not worth a torpedo, the submarine surfaced and opened fire with her deck gun. During the day, she lessened the distance between herself and her quarry and, near dusk, she closed a 400-ton trawler. Sightings of sampans became frequent, and Tunny often dove to avoid detection by suspicious-looking trawlers.Īt 05:30 on 26 January, Tunny sighted masts and a stack over the horizon indicating a possible target. Then, as she approached the Ryukyu Islands, sea traffic increased. For nearly a week, rough seas hampered the progress of the submarine. She got underway from Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, on 12 January 1943 for her first war patrol. She then engaged in an additional week of training, followed by two weeks repairs.įirst war patrol (12 January – 20 February 1943) Īfter completing shakedown, Tunny arrived in the Hawaiian Islands on 12 December 1942. Tunny pulled away from at high speed to a range of 14,000 yards (12,800 m) and avoided damage and casualties. Tunny was under escort by the submarine chaser USS SC-631, which was about 5,000 yards (4,600 m) from Tunny on her starboard quarter at the time. On 29 November 1942, at a position in the Pacific Ocean off California which the armed tanker SS Huguenot reported as 34☄9′N 121☂2′W / 34.817°N 121.367°W / 34.817 -121.367 but actually was in the vicinity of 33★0′N 120☀0′W / 33.833°N 120.000°W / 33.833 -120.000, Huguenot mistook Tunny for a Japanese submarine and opened gunfire on her. World War II service September 1942–January 1943 Īfter commissioning, Tunny conducted shakedown training from California ports. Crisp, manager of the Mare Island Navy Yard, and commissioned on 1 September 1942. She was launched on 30 June 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Tunny's keel was laid down on 10 November 1941 at Vallejo, California, by the Mare Island Navy Yard. Tunny was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the tunny, any of several oceanic fishes resembling the mackerel Construction Tunny received nine battle stars and two Presidential Unit Citations for her World War II service and five battle stars for her operations during the Vietnam War. USS Tunny (SS/SSG/APSS/LPSS-282) was a Gato-class submarine which saw service in World War II and in the Vietnam War. 10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (six forward, four aft).1 × Regulus missile hangar and launcher.48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged.4 × high-speed electric motors with reduction gears, 2 shaftsġ1,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h).USS Tunny (SS-282) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, in late 1942.
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